The Bobcat fire burning in the Angeles National Forest north of Monrovia was still spreading out of control on Thursday, Sept. 10, as firefighters contended with powerful winds.
The fire has burned 23,890 acres of pristine forest lands, Calfire officials said. It was 6% contained on Thursday, with full containment not expected until mid-October.
The Bobcat was most active near the Cogswell Reservoir, a fishing and camping spot about seven and a half miles west of Highway 39. Los Angeles County Fire Department officials said the fire had reached the reservoir after it “made a big push” on Wednesday, aided by intense winds.
MAP: This is where the Bobcat fire is burning in the San Gabriel Mountains
“The fire behavior was very active to extreme with long-range spotting, tree torching, and visible slope runs,” the officials said in a statement.
The blaze was mostly spreading north and deeper into the forest, Angeles National Forest spokesman Andrew Mitchell said. No buildings had been destroyed so far, but some homes were as close to 1.5 miles from flames along the fire’s southern edge.
Fire along the foothills above Monrovia and Azusa could be seen by residents in nearby communities. Measures are in place in case the flames begin to threaten homes.
“It’s unlikely to become an issue unless we get a really dramatic shift in winds,” Mitchell said. “It would also still has to climb up and down the ridges, and we’ve also managed to secure a defensive line with dozers and flame retardant.”
Smoke cover from the fire lifted enough at one point Wednesday to allow firefighting agencies to bring in aircraft to help crews on the ground. More than 530 firefighting personnel were working to contain the blaze on Thursday. Officials said two air tankers, including a DC-10, made fire retardant drops throughout the day. A sky-crane helicopter and two crews of hotshot firefighters also were brought in as reinforcements.
No evacuations orders were in place by Thursday afternoon, but evacuation warnings for parts of these communities were still in effect: Monrovia, Arcadia, Azusa, Sierra Madre, Duarte, Pasadena, Altadena and Bradbury. Evacuation warnings mean that residents in those areas should be prepared to evacuate and to stay updated on developments of the fire.
In Pasadena, resident Katie Safford said the area looked like a scene out of “The Twilight Zone.”
“It’s just so weird and dark,” Safford, 59, said of the smoke and ash. “It’s certainly smell-able, this morning I looked down the street and it looked like clouds sitting on top of us.”
Although Safford and her family weren’t in the voluntary evacuation area, she knew plenty of people who were. The second-grade teacher said the fire has put everyone on edge.
“I woke up coughing this morning, thinking air quality or COVID?” Safford said. “I just don’t how much more can be thrown.”
Officials with the American Red Cross Los Angeles Region said Thursday afternoon that they would close a temporary evacuation point at Santa Anita Park and provide virtual assistance for anyone impacted by the Bobcat Fire. The Red Cross has teams on standby to reopen the evacuation site, if needed.